1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of light curing devices and, more particularly, to dental light curing devices.
2. The Relevant Technology
In the field of dentistry, dental cavities are often filled and/or sealed with photosensitive compounds that are cured when they are exposed to radiant energy, such as visible light. These compounds, commonly referred to as light curable compounds, are placed within dental preparations or onto dental surfaces where they are subsequently irradiated by a light curing dental device.
Existing light curing devices are configured to emit adequate light from one or more light sources into a patient's mouth and in a manner that is suitable to cure the light curable compounds. Typically, at least a portion of the light curing device is inserted within the patient's mouth proximate a dental preparation to help ensure the light is dispersed at the desired location. Inserting the light curing device with the patient's mouth, however, necessitates that the light curing device is sterilized between uses.
Sterilizing the light curing device between uses is a tedious task that is complicated by the size and shape of exiting light curing devices. For instance, the battery pack or power cord of existing light curable devices makes it somewhat awkward to move the light curing devices to a sterilizing station, thereby complicating the sterilizing process.
One existing method for maintaining a sterile light curing device, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,696, issued to Osterwalder et al., includes the use of a transparent sleeve that is placed over the portion of the light curing device that is inserted within the patient's mouth. Between uses, the transparent sleeve can then be replaced with a new sterile sleeve. The plastic sleeve, however, can be difficult to position and replace and is not necessarily easier than sanitizing the light curing device. The plastic sleeve may also create undesired optical dispersion of the light.
Another problem experienced with existing light curing devices is that the attached power cords make them somewhat inconvenient to freely transport between different locations. For instance, it is somewhat awkward and hazardous to carry a light curing device from room to room when the device has a dangling cord. It can also be time consuming and undesirable to have to ravel the cord up before moving the device.
Although battery powered light curing devices are more mobile than light curing it is also somewhat limited. In devices having cords, it can be difficult to find an adequate location to temporarily store the battery pack while the light curing device is separated from the battery pack. This can be a problem because the battery pack may become misplaced, lost, or even worse, the battery pack may be unintentionally dropped and damaged.
Yet another problem with existing light curing devices is that they are typically sold as single integrated units. This can be a problem when a portion of the light curing device becomes damaged or otherwise becomes nonfunctional, such as when the light-generating source burns out in which case, the entire light curing device must be replaced. This is undesirable from a practitioner's perspective because of the cost required to buy a new device. The integration of existing light curing devices is also undesirable in certain circumstances because this essentially limits the functionality of the light curing devices to the inherent characteristics of the integrated components. Integration prevents the components from being interchanged to utilize the different attributes and functionality of the alternate components.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, there is currently a need in the art for improved light curing devices.